Greetings from Tena, Ecuador!

It has been 48 hours and I'm finally finding some time to sit down and write.  It's been a whirlwind couple days already! Where to begin...

The trip here was smooth and flawless.  I was so nervous with anticipation the whole time, but was able to relax a little, watch some free in-flight movies, and enjoy the lightening storms in the distance over the Carribean. They were beautiful once I got passed the fact that I was sitting inside a metal can in the sky. :) Upon arriving the Quito visa-less, I slipped right through immigration without so much as a glance from the lady at the counter. Guess I don't look too suspicious.  Prior to leaving, my boss here had coordinated that I be picked up by a friend of her's and stay at her house for the night, so it was a relief to see a kind looking man and wife holding a sign with my name. They welcomed me with hugs and smiles and helped me with my abundance of luggage, gave me a bed to sleep in, fed me a plentiful breakfast, and set me up with a driver to take me to Tena to spare me a 6 hour bus ride on a windy road.

Me and Maria Eugenia, my host for my first night in Quito, in front of her beautiful home. 

My angel upon arrival!

The drive to Tena was beautiful! We had to drive through the Andes to get down to the jungle town of Tena.  The drive started warm, but the windows and wind provided respite- turned into pouring rain at the top of the mountains- and lead to the humid jungle.  The road was paved, by Ecuadorian standards, but our driver was good at avoiding pot holes. Rock slides were "blocked" by caution tape, and small communities came and went in a blink of an eye.  Rivers, small water falls, creeks, all feeding into the main river that runs out into the jungle.  Apparently there are some "thermal baths" somewhere along that route- definitely on the to-do list.  

Once in Tena, we were greeted again by diesel-spewing cars, trucks, and taxis. Small little shops line the main thoroughfare which is called 15 de noviembre, and people are out and about. No one else seems to notice the heat, so I guess that means I'll get used to it eventually.  It's about 9:30pm here now, and my thermometet reads 81'... and that's a cool evening.  I met my host mother, Gaby, and her 2 kids (Rafaela 1.5 yrs, and Juan Francisco 7 yra) and I think it will be fun to live with them.  Gaby has hosted volunteers for about 5 years, so the kids are used to having someone around.  I have my own room, but since all doors and windows are left open to let air through, I can hear the tv playing "That 70s Show" with Spanish subtitles (Gaby loves it for some reason) and I hear Juan Francisco and Gaby teaching Rafaela how to say my name. :) Warms my heart! 

Today was my first experience at the hospital where the pediatric clinic is located- and I think I felt the effects of culture shock. I don't know where to begin to describe the place.   First I rode the city bus through town, which is an adrenaline rush in itself.  Then once I got to the hospital, I kept thinking to myself "if only my co-workers could see this! We might never complain about less than adequate conditions or mere inconveniences ever again".  But it's all relative. Deep breath and dive in!  The therapy clinic is actually pretty nice, thanks to my boss who has been writing grants and connecting with the US for donations and support.  The hospital, on the other hand, is what I suppose you might expect for a developing country.  4 story cement building, perpetually under construction, no air conditioning. I will get to shadow the inpatient physical therapist eventually to see what the actual conditions are on the floors.  

As for my job here, there is one staff OT, and an American volunteer OT who is leaving this Friday. This week is dedicated to her training me as best she can before she leaves because she has lots of peds experience and is a wealth of knowledge.  The staff OT on the other hand... is going to be a test in my teaching skills. Let's just say I would love to go to a local university to see what OT training is like here.  I have a feeling I will be teaching myself, as well as her, as we go along this journey. She has mostly adult experience from a military hospital, and doesn't know what she doesn't know.  I've been told she was hired on because of her political connections (which I think will be a trend I begin to see often).  I think by the end of the year I will feel so proud of myself, but today I see the challenge ahead of me.   After co-treating 6 kids with the other volunteer OT, getting oriented to the clinic, reviewing diagnosis' and treatment techniques, I was exhausted! I'll either sleep like a rock tonight, or be tossing and turning with all the new info floating in my brain.  

Inspirational Moment of the Day: families that have a child with a disability get financial support from the government, as long as they can show evidence that they are attending therapy (a monthly certificate provided by the clinic). They also are provided with a wheelchair.  Well, today a father came in with his son that has cerebral palsy, and he was beaming with pride! The week prior the OT had looked at his wheel chair that he had obviously outgrown and was explaining to the PT what modifications "should" be made to the chair so it would be a more appropriate, knowing all too well, that these were hypothetical suggestions since there aren't obvious means to make the adjustments.  Well this father went home and practically reconstructed the chair, making the seat pan longer by switching the backrest for the seat pan, built lateral supports (basically side supports since the kid was practically falling out of the chair from leaning so hard to the side), built a bolster and tray table so that the legs can't cross and the kid can actually have a surface he can reach to do things on.  It was incredible to see how creative he was, how intuitive, and how attentive he was to go home and make the changes the therapist had suggested. The love and connection this father and child had was palpable.  

Somehow, even after this long post, there was still more that occurred in these 3 days, but I think I will leave it at that.  I am on sensory overload, and keep thinking "I'm looking forward to when this begins to feel comfortable"... maybe in 363 more days. ;) 

Love you all!